Three Brothers Theatre decided many months before the presidential election it wanted to include Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar," in its lineup of shows.

Still, director Emily Robinson said the play written in 1599 hits home today during the political climate in America.

The play, which depicts a leader loved by some and unloved by others, is proof, she said, that "nothing's really new in the world." One of several plays Shakespeare wrote based on historical fact, "Julius Caesar" runs weekends through June 24 at Three Brothers Theatre in Waukegan.

Robinson, a Chicago actor and director who will appear in several Shakespeare plays this summer, said when she was chosen to direct "Julius Caesar," she thought hard about how she wanted to approach it.

"I didn't want to set it in ancient Rome or in the corporate world. I wanted to make it as ambiguous as possible," she said. "The play can apply to many times in history — when someone rises up to power and some people go against him.

"I don't want to make a political statement on that (what's happening with politics in America) with the show, but I did want it to be a bit of a cautionary tale, that people should be aware of what's going on throughout the world."

She intentionally chose non-descriptive costuming, so it wouldn't appear to be in ancient Rome or modern times, but rather timeless.

The actors dress in black and wear colored sashes to help the audience know who's who, she said.

"The costume designer and I worked on it together to figure out the way to present it with my vision for the play."

Robinson is working with 16 actors, who play more than 50 characters. Though she cut the play by a few scenes, she did not change any of the words. "We use Shakespeare's original text."

It can be difficult for the audience to understand the language of hundreds of years ago, she said, but good actors know how to get the meaning across in different ways.

"The most important thing is to really have a handle on the meaning intimately. If you understand exactly what you're saying and how Shakespeare uses plays on words, then you can find actable ways to portray that to the audience."

For example, when Marc Antony talks about a donkey pulling a cart, the actor "does this thing with his hands and ears that shows the audience that it's an animal," Robinson said. "That's just a small example of the many ways actors can help the audience understand Shakespeare."

The play opens with Caesar having conquered Pompei and returning to a cheering crowd in Rome. "A lot of people are celebrating. Other people are getting scared as he rises to power," Robinson said.

Robinson said she makes sure the play "is not a statement on what's going on now. The way that I directed the show wouldn't have been any different had there been a different outcome of the (presidential) election. I took Shakespeare's text and ran with it in the best interpretation as possible."

She added she worked to bring out two important themes in the play — friendship and loyalty.

Robinson acknowledged that "Julius Caesar" was the most difficult play she's directed. "There's all these moving pieces and then digging into a language that's not natural to us. The actors and crew, they've worked hard. Their support has really been fantastic."